Ukraine's Interim Government Announces New Cabinet

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s new government announced in front of thousands in Independence Square that it has nominees for the new cabinet. The cabinet will govern the country until official elections take place on May 25.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, opposition leader and head of the Fatherland Party, is nominated for prime minister. He is the only one who was formally announced. The interim government chose not to announce the others by name; no reason was given.

Parliament will approve the new cabinet members on Thursday, and foreign ministers from Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary will meet with them on Friday. In order to receive financial support from the European Union, the country must have an active government:

Germany’s foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who helped broker the peace deal that led to the introduction of new leadership in Kyiv, was scheduled to meet US Foreign Secretary John Kerry and IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday and Friday, respectively, to discuss a possible economic package.

“From Germany’s perspective, it is appropriate for the international community to close ranks on this,” Steinmeier’s spokesperson told news agency AFP. “Political stabilization of [Ukraine]… goes hand in hand with a process of economic and financial stabilization… [which] won’t be possible without outside help.”

Parliament ousted Viktor Yanukovich on February 22nd and elected Oleksandr Turchynov as interim president. It originally wanted a new government in place by the 25th, but delayed the move because of separatism fears and infighting within the opposition.